Favoritism and the Christian

·         For what event would you buy the “best seats”:  The World Series?  Super Bowl?  Your child/grandchild’s play?

·         Have you ever visited a Third world country or low income area?  If so, when/where?  What did you experience?

·         It has been said that the most segregated time of the week in this culture is the Sunday morning worship hour.  In what ways, if any, have you seen this to be true in your experience?

THE CONTEXT

An attribute of God that is not often thought about is His impartiality.  Yet this is a recurring theme throughout Scripture.  God is absolutely impartial in His dealings with people.  And in that way, as with other attributes, He is unlike us.  Humans are not naturally inclined to be impartial.  We tend to put people in pigeon holes, in predetermined categories ranking them by their looks, their closthes, their ethnicity, their social status, their personality, their intelligence their wealth  and power, by the school they attend, if they work outside the home or at home, the car they drive and by the type of house and neighborhood they live in.  But these are non-issues with God.  God looks at the heart and wants us to do the same.

THE PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE

James 2:1-13

RESEARCH

God’s Word has much to say about rich and riches.  Read the following passages and note/share what God has to say to us.  (By the way?  Are you rich?  Compared to whom?)

Ecclesiastes 5:19

Psalm 52:1-7

Job 31:24-25, 28

Proverbs 18:11,23

Jeremiah 17:11

Luke 12:15-21

Proverbs 11:4,28

Deuteronomy 6:10-12

1 Timothy 6:9-10

Summarize in your own words, and then share with one another your conclusions on what God has said in these passages on riches and being rich. 

 Why is God concerned with this area of our lives?

 

According to Verse 8 what is the “royal law”?

Read Matthew 22:34-40.  How can obeying these great commands eliminate the sin of partiality and favoritism among people of faith?

 

Read the following verses and record/share what they say about our attitudes and relating to others?

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Philippians 2:3-4

What are some ways of “labeling” others that you need to refrain from immediately?

What are some practical things we can do as a church to be more welcoming?

(Anything you can head up?  Talk to Jeff and let’s implement it !)

To Conclude – let’s look again at God.  Is God partial?

Acts 10:34

Romans 2:11

Ephesians 6:9

Colossians 3:23-25

And then finally:  What actions in the Christian life are we to take, and how do they apply to today?

Romans 13:7

1 Peter 2:17